Your team v West Ham (League Cup Quarter-Final)

[Insidious]

An insipid, uninspiring display against Man United has naturally caused concern amongst Reds and confirmed the worries amongst those who felt that luck has been masking some issues.

Ahead of a tough fixture against League leaders Arsenal, we face our second of 3 straight Home games - this time against West Ham in the Cup, led by the Moyesiah himself.

Some would want us to field a weaker/rotated side here, but having seen how dour some of our starting XI were against Man United, I'd like to see us go quite strong in the hope that we can bring lads off.

I also want to see a total change to mix things up a bit. With that in mind, I should add that the chances of Klopp picking my line-up are likely absolutely zero and some will likely feel my picks are a bit daft.

.......................Alisson

Gomez......Konate...Van Dijk...Tsimikas

.........................Jones

..............Trent.......Gakpo

.....Diaz...........Salah......Núñez

I don't want Diaz and Salah cutting inside from wide, so have stuck Salah central, put Diaz on the right to widen the pitch and put Núñez on the left to widen the pitch further. Trent and Gakpo behind them to exploit spaces with Jones tasked with being press-resistant and mopping up.

Won't happen and I am sure lads with more tactical astuteness than myself can lay out why the above would never work, but as much as anything I just want to see something different.

Place in a Cup semi-final at stake.

[Steveo]

I would be happy with that. We need to go for this cup and need to get that form before Arsenal. This game could be the one that gets us clicking

[miller0863]

Indeed, no resting players who don’t benefit from a rest. Keep them playing to see if they can click back into gear.

[justme]

But we have 2 days then we play on the Saturday.. Arsenal have an whole week off. they'll be way fitter than us. that little margins play a huge part in games.

[Insidious]

But we have 2 days then we play on the Saturday.. Arsenal have an whole week off. they'll be way fitter than us. that little margins play a huge part in games.

I get what you're saying, but long rests often don't seem to be of much benefit to us. I know it won't always literally be the case, but it feels like when we get a break we more often than not put abject performances in upon return, so I'd give this a go.

Also, as much as the rest period isn't very long, we'll be at Anfield against Arsenal having been at Anfield against West Ham - and the Arsenal match is a 5.30pm kick-off. Those extra hours at the top level do make a big difference, not to mention we have a squad for making subs and haven't had to travel about.

As much as I want a title or at the very least a title challenge, we are a match away from the semi-final of the Cup, which is much more winnable in terms of probability.

- Beat West Ham
- Prevail through the semi-final stage
- Win a Final that gets a lot of our lads a taste of silverware and can drive them on for the rest of the season

Let's get there - chances to notch up another number on the Champion's Wall are reasonably sparse - get a goal in the first half, keep the foot down, make subs as soon as we can and carry some positive momentum and feel-good factor into the Arsenal game. If Anfield was a bit flat for a Man United fixture where we expected a win, then they should certainly find a way to be up for an Arsenal match where the Gunners are top of the League.

The Arsenal game would be a big push for some, no question, but we get to face Burnley after it and they are faring rather poorly in the League, so that would represent a good opportunity to either maintain momentum after a victory over Arsenal or get back into winning ways if we draw or lose.

[justme]

long rests? what 5 days??

[Insidious]

long rests? what 5 days??

Semantics - perhaps I could have worded it slightly better.

We had a Saturday 3pm game, then a number of players aren't utilised in the Europa League "dead rubber" game - so they go Sunday/Monday/Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday/Friday/Saturday without playing and then into a 4.30pm kick-off.

It may only be 7 days of not playing, or for some featuring in a match with no real stakes, but it's definitely enough to disrupt rhythm and that competitive edge. I generally feel we are at our best when we have important mid-week matches (February-to-May particularly) to do with synergy, patterns of play, rhythm etc.

Might just be me. If it is, that's fine. But personally don't feel we should rotate heavily for West Ham and then go "full strength" for Arsenal - as strong as we can (perhaps with the exception of Kelleher to keep him happy in the Cup) for both matches for me, or as close to it as the medical staff feel we can manage.

[JockStrap]

I get what you're saying, but long rests often don't seem to be of much benefit to us. I know it won't always literally be the case, but it feels like when we get a break we more often than not put abject performances in upon return, so I'd give this a go.

Thir's a science behind that thae days 'n' none o' us ken anythin' aboot it. Klopp wull be consulting wi' his medical warkers 'n' ken gey weel wha is best placed tae play.

[Insidious]

Thir's a science behind that thae days 'n' none o' us ken anythin' aboot it. Klopp wull be consulting wi' his medical warkers 'n' ken gey weel wha is best placed tae play.

Certainly - but I do think we have lads who are capable of doing 45-65 minutes of football against West Ham, get subbed, then be able to perform for 70-odd minutes against Arsenal.

[JockStrap]

Certainly - but I do think we have lads who are capable of doing 45-65 minutes of football against West Ham, get subbed, then be able to perform for 70-odd minutes against Arsenal.

Who wid ye play fur 45-60 minutes 'n' whit wid ye dae if we wur 0-1 doon efter 60 minutes?